io Preface 



reputation grew out of Hobgoblin's refusal to cover Roxana. What he wants is facts 

 and figures embracing the present day and date. The mere fact that Catton and Emilius 

 were two of the best and most successful stallions between 1820 and 1840, has no bear- 

 ing upon modern breeding because the male lines of those two once-famous sires are 

 now wholly extinct, while that of the despised and calumniated Blacklock in that era 

 at least is now at the head of the British turf, through St. Simon and his sons, two 

 of which have already headed the list of winning sires though less than twelve years 

 old. 



Hence my only endeavors have been to bring this book down to date and modern- 

 ize its contents so far as practicable. The great world is in a great hurry just now, 

 and has but little time to devote to the perusal of ancient history. So I deal with 

 horses of the last sixty years as much as possible, referring the reader to the works of 

 Col. Bruce for the old days in Virginia; and to Mr. Osborne's work for the ancient 

 occurrences on the turf in England and Ireland. They were both better writers than 1 

 am and had more extensive libraries upon which to draw for information. Hence I 

 make no claim for any great amount of originality in this book, but I can claim truth- 

 fully that its .construction is more orderly and methodical than that of any book that 

 has yet been published on this subject, either in America or in Europe. 



I naturally expected to make some money out of this book, but fear that I shall 

 not have $1000 left after paying all the bills. I have received no support from Ken- 

 tucky whatever and none of any extent except from Californians, counting Mr. James 

 R. Keene as one. Col. S. D. Bruce's book contained advertisements of 94 stallions 

 of which 68 were owned in Kentucky. In this book there is just one Kentucky stallion 

 owned by a bona fide resident of that State. The truth is, that I am suffering for an- 

 other party's misdeeds. 



In 1902 a canvass was made for a book to be called "The History of the Horse," 

 to be published from the office of the New York Spirit of the Times. The brothers 

 Le Berthon got about $42,000 worth of contracts on that book for which they were to 

 receive 50 per cent, as commission. On this amount some $16,000 was paid in checks 

 and turned over to the manager of the Spirit of the Times, who deposited them in the 

 bank to his personal account and drew checks against it to pay the Le Berthons their 

 commissions. No book ever has appeared nor ever will. The manager of the concern 

 got away with a nice little stake and now, when I come to print a book that is needed, 

 I get the frozen lip from men to whose interests I am doing an actual service. Mr. 

 John Le Berthon lives in this city and is respected as a straight and upright man 

 wherever he is known. I would risk my life on his honesty as I have known him 

 nearlv twenty years. He is in no way to blame for the non-appearance of the "History 

 of the Horse." He did his work and got his pay for it, as was right. The other party 

 who received the checks of Messrs. Whitney, Mackay, Belmont and others, and gave 

 no value in return, is in pretty big luck to be at large and master of his own actions. 



I have tried also to offend nobody while endeavoring to write impartially and in 

 a spirit of honest criticism. As to what appears in the "Breeders' Hand Book" portion 

 of this work, that is advertising pure and simple; and the opinions concerning horses 

 published therein are those of their owners and not of myself. Hence I cannot, in any 

 spirit of fairness be held responsible for anything that appears in that part of my 

 work. In the editorial portion of it, ranging from Chapter I to Chapter X, the opinions 

 advanced are all my own and upon them I am ready to stand or fall, in the full 

 belief that the right to applaud carries with it the right to censure as well. I seek to 

 quarrel with no other man's opinions but will endeavor, as far as possible, to have my 

 own respected. And to achieve that end I feel that 1 must write in a spirit of candor 

 and justice, so that when the end comes to me as it does to all men, those who survive 

 me may remember the injunction of the Moor and "cspeak me fair in death nothing 

 extenuate nor set down aught in malice." 



